Chapter 12 - Finders keepers
Rofta was seen looking at small thin swords that were mostly used with slapping motions. After having fought Rofta and multiple bandits on their way to Maquarry City, he found a big weakness by using his long Katana. It's only fit for slashes and not stopping, especially when there's no guard on the sword to stop himself from getting his hands cut. So decided to find a second sword to use if the enemy comes too close to him, though after finding something he liked he had to give up getting it right now, as he's in the same boat as Marc. He has no money to pay for it…
Genno saw how much Rofta liked the sword and couldn't help asking him about "So what do you think young-in Rofta? Is it suitable?"
"Yes, this is just what I need to make up for my weakness right now!" replied Rofta while putting the sword back on the shelf.
"Then why are you putting it back? Aren't you buying it?" Asked Genno with a questioning expression.
"I don't have the money for it, so I'm putting it back," Rofta said with an annoyed expression.
"Why don't you ask for a discount then? Young-in Rofta you should always ask for a discount from merchants, or you end up getting cheated!" Genno lectured Rofta.
"So do you think I can get it for 0 Jewels?" Asked Rofta with a raised eyebrow.
"Of course not, but if you have no money you could have just said so Rofta young-in. I know just the place where you can earn some quick Jewels. Let's go, I will introduce you to one of my friends." Genno clapped Rofta on the shoulders with a little sympathy in his voice, because it's really hard parting with something you like, especially a swordsman parting with a sword is hard.
"Well, thanks. I will see you later then!" Rofta thanked Genno, before telling the last part to the sword with determination.
…
Rofta and Genno have made their way to Genno's friend, and what they saw made their jaws drop to the ground. Rofta was the first one to close his mouth, but couldn't help put a hand in his face, feeling a headache coming.
"Die, die, die, die together with my lovely pavement!!" Yelled a burly middle-aged man with no hair on his head and a thick beard while running after a little boy with blonde hair.
"Calm down boss, it's bad for the heart getting too agitated in your age!" Yelled the little blonde boy with 'concern' in his voice.
"Fuck, I'm going to strangle you to death when I catch you!!" The middle-aged man's face changed to a pig's color after hearing that.
"That's Marc young-in right?" Genno got out of his shock and asked Rofta unsurely, because right now the little boy is covered in dust, making him hard to recognize.
But Rofta has already been traveling with Marc for weeks now, so he can instantly recognize the lively midget from a distance. "Yes…It seems he couldn't keep out of trouble after all." Said Rofta after looking around the place with craters everywhere.
"I don't really know what happened here, but that's my friend trying to kill Marc young-in," Genno said while pointing at the boss of the stone site.
"I see, you want me to work here? Well, there does look to be enough work to be done right now…" Rofta nodded and internally schemed something.
"When introducing me to your friend, could you not mention I'm friends with the dwarf over there?" Rofta added with a serious face, afraid that this boss will turn him away when he finds out Marc and Rofta are friends.
"Well I don't want to lie to my friend, but I don't think you have to afraid of being turned down because of that. He's not the type to do that!" Genno indirectly turned Rofta's request down.
"I'm not afraid of being turned down. I'm afraid of not getting paid!!" Rofta scratched his head with distress.
"I can say for sure that my friend won't cheat you no matter what! Let's just talk to him." Genno misunderstood Rofta's words.
"I'm not saying he will cheat us, I'm afraid of having to pay Marc's damages…" Rofta thought to himself, not bothering with explaining it to Genno.
"Antonio, Marc, over here!" Genno called out to the furious man and Marc.
"Genno?" "Old man?" The boss stopped after hearing his real name being said and Marc called Genno old man rudely like always.
When Antonio heard Marc also being called by his friend, he couldn't help asking "Genno, you know this little prick?" With pointing with his thump at Marc.
"Yes, I was the one leading them into the city after meeting them on guard duty," Genno confirmed.
"Then you better pay for my ruined pavement this brat just destroyed!!" Antonio couldn't release his anger on Marc as he couldn't catch him. Somehow Marc was like a slippery eel every time he was about to give him a black eye.
"Safe!!" Though Rofta in his head, afraid of being the one who should pay up.
"Eh?" Genno got gobsmacked after hearing his old friend being unreasonable.
"So what do you want Genno? As you can see, I'm really busy right now!" Asked Antonio, eager to get back catching Marc and beat him to a pulp.
"I wanted to ask if you could use a worker more? This is Rofta and he's in a need of Jewels to buy a sword he likes." Genno asked and presented Rofta to his old friend.
"Sure, if you can give this brat a black eye, I will employ you," Antonio said while once again pointing with his thump at Marc.
"Eh?" Marc exclaimed in surprise when he heard the condition.
"Deal," Rofta said simply, before running after the already fleeing Marc.
…
Half an hour later…
Both Rofta and Marc came back with a black eye and swollen cheeks.
"Old m- I mean Antonio sir. I fulfilled your condition, now you have to employ me." Rofta was about to rudely call him "old man" but changed it, as he really wanted this money, and didn't want to take give any reasons for being turned down.
"It seems you got a black eye yourself!" Antonio stated the obvious with raised eyebrows.
"You never mentioned any condition about not getting one myself…" Rofta said with a stoic expression, while being dissatisfied internally with himself, but didn't want to show it. While fighting with Marc, he had to go all-in on offense, thus making him wide open for Marc to give a black eye at the same time.
"Hahaha…That's true! You got yourself a job." Antonio laughed heartily while clapping Rofta's shoulder, making him flinch because of the power in those hands. Antonio is incredibly strong because of his upbringing and Stone Magic but is really slow at the same time, that's why he couldn't catch Marc despite being stronger in general.
"So brat have you relented?" Antonio turned his attention away from Rofta and looked at Marc, but he didn't stand there anymore.
"Where did that brat run off to?" Antonio questioned, while Genno and Rofta just pointed to the side where Marc can be seen sitting and eating some fruit with a black eye.
"That looks awfully like my lunch…" Antonio found the basket the fruits are in similar to his own. When Marc moved his hand out of the way of the basket, Antonio could see the same mark his basket has before concluding it's actually his.
His happy mood instantly crumbled again before storming at Marc like an angry bull. "You little shameless fucker. I'm going to, I'm going to, I'm going to…" Antonio was so angry that he couldn't find anything to say, so he just repeated the same thing repeatedly.
When Marc saw Antonio charging at him once again, he just raised his hand and said to make him stop in his track "Wait, I can explain!"
Antonio stopped and wanted to know what this little devil has to say in defense.
*Gulp*
"Finder keepers!" Marc swallowed a fruit and stated with a serious face that says "that's the law".
"…" Genno's knightly expression was on the verge of crumbling and was about to laugh, but used every single of his willpower to hold it in.
"…" Rofta crouched and hid his face behind his hands, seemingly trying to hide by playing a stone.
"…" Antonio's face looked really unhealthy. His face looked like a baboon's ass because of the anger this little brat brought him, before fainting two seconds after.
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(A/N: I will not post a reference for Antonio's look as he will not be important in the future of the story, so I just quickly made up an appearance for him.)
(A/N: Hope this is another fun chapter, see ya 👋🏻)
(Words: 1484)